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The Syrian revolution is not dead

Yes it’s a popular revolution and not a civil war, as the Syrian revolutionary people reminded the world by calling Friday March 14 with this title for the anniversary of the 3 years of the Syrian revolution. Despite mass killings and destructions provoked by the Assad regime on one side and the threats posed by the islamists reactionary forces to the revolutionary process on the other side, the Syrian revolutionary masses are still struggling for the objectives of the revolution: democracy, social justice and no to sectarianism.

We can see this in the banners of yesterday’s demonstrations:

Maaret Unman: “Title of sectarianism its name is Assad”

Douma “Justice, Freedom, Dignity, Citizenship”

Mliha, Damascus

“Nuns of Maaloula, Peace be upon you, you are from us.”

Kafranbel

“”Our revolution erupted just like a pure spring, carried grit and impurities however it will be cleared soon for people to enjoy pure water”

Qamichlo

“the Syrian people unified started unified, unified, unified, Arab and Kurd will finish hand in hand and we want to build a new country.

Aleppo, Bustan Qasr,

“Our Revolution will be victorious, and will establish a State of freedom, dignity, justice and conscience”

We could see also banners for the liberation and in favor of revolutionaries such as Razan Zeitouneh and her colleagues that have been kidnapped by armed groups few months ago. This banner in Douma saying : “we are present in your absence, Razan, Samira, Nazem, Wa’il”.

These various banners reflect the objective of the revolution and show that its spirit is still very much present.

In the same time, some campaigns are still launched on different levels by popular councils and youth groups in country. In Bustan Qasr, a liberated neighborhood of Aleppo, for example, the revolutionary popular council started the campaign “ When the walls tell the story of the revolution” as we can see on this picture that says:

“Your baramil (bombings) will not kill us, they will only kill the fear”.

The committee of the Kurdish Fraternity (or Brotherhood) in Aleppo, particularly active in the neighborhood of Achrafia since the beginning of the revolution, did a demonstration on March 1 2014 with slogans emphasizing “Freedom, Fraternity and Peace”. This was one of its banner: Hurriyat (Freedom in Arabic), Fraternity, Azadi (Freedom in Kurdish)” below “ Achrafia”. The committee of the Kurdish Fraternity has and continue to struggle actively against the regime, and reactionary islamist forces, while putting forward the fraternity between Arabs and Kurds.

Activists in Aleppo also distributed flyers in areas under the control of the regime (Street of the Nil, Mogambo, the university, Mohafazat, Chahba, Street Andalous) that stated that the revolution continues until victory, until the downfall of the regime. This was part of the campaign “we resist despite the violence of the regime”. The activists of this campaign also stated that peaceful means of resistance continue to be a tool of resistance in this revolution. (http://amc-sy.net/details/في-ذكرى-الثورة-ناشطون-يطلقون-حملة-صامدون-رغم-أنف-الأسد/414/#.UyR-H_1alst)

In the region of Idlib, a campaign has been launched by various groups of activists to commemorate the third year of the revolution. The campaign includes different events, notably a demonstration with the songs of the beginning of the beginning of the revolution, to paint the walls in cities and villages with slogans of the revolution and the reasons why the revolution started, a theater play, etc… See more: https://syriafreedomforever.wordpress.com/2014/03/15/حملة-تشجير-بإدلب-إحياء-للذكرئ-الثالة-ل/

For the commemoration of the ten years of Kurdish Intifada on March 12 2014, many demonstrations also occurred in various cities ( Amouda, Efrin, Qamichlo, etc…) (see: https://syriafreedomforever.wordpress.com/2014/03/14/we-will-not-forget-the-kurdish-intifada-of-2004/)

On March 8, the group “Syrian women initiative“, which wants a democratic and pluralist state in which the rights of women are guaranteed, launched a campaign emphasizing the fact that the revolution is also to guarantee and put forward women’s rights. For example these banners:

“ This is my country,

It is my right to participate in its building

It is my right to give my nationality to my children

It my right for you to listen to my opinion

Because I am citizen and because it is my country”

It is my right to know my rights, woman from Raqqa

It is our right to participate in the decision

This one is from a female activist of Raqqa. She is demanding the liberation for all the women from Raqqa from the injust occupation of Daech

See more : https://syriafreedomforever.wordpress.com/2014/03/14/لا-اشتراكية-بدون-النسوية،-لا-نسوية-بدو/

This is not to say that the Syrian revolution is not facing many threats, it is.

First from the killing machine that is the dictatorial regime, assisted politically, militarily and economically by its allies Russia, Iran and Hezbollah. The regimes and its allies are the most important counter-revolutionary force, but this does not mean the other counter revolutionary force represented by the islamist reactionary forces that opposed the objectives of the revolution and want to build a new dictatorship. We refuse anykind of oppressions, whether from the regime or the islamist reactionary forces, just as we refuse their attempts to divide the Syrian people by using sectarianism or national chauvinism.

We have to oppose politically both of these counter revolutionary forces and continue to struggle for the original objectives of the revolution: “democracy, social justice and no to sectarianism”, because the spirit of the revolution is still here and because this is the spirit of the Syrian popular movement.

And despite the killings and destructions, these past 3 years have opened a new era for the Syrian people, as this banner says it: “3 years of hunger and suffering but 3 years of pride and dignity”.

The Syrian popular movement has and will not kneel in front of anyone.